And So It Goes *complete*
by Nea1
Summary: An accidental meeting with a ghost from Max's past forces her to question truth and trust and sets her on a dangerous path leading back to Manticore.
1. Default Chapter

This is my first fanfic, so be merciful

This is my first fanfic, so be merciful. But if I suck, don't be too merciful, or then I might write another one equally bad or worse, and nobody needs that. E-mail me at [mcfossil75@hotmail.com][1] if you feel there's something you can't say right here and now.

Disclaimer: They ain't mine. I just borrowed 'em, and I promise to give 'em back when I'm done. Sue me if you like, but bear in mind I have a net worth of about sixteen dollars and seventy-three cents, so it probably wouldn't be worth your time. 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Max picked up her Tryptophan bottle and glanced inside. Empty. Great. She sighed as her eyes darted their way across the apartment, looking for anything of value that might be fenced. She sighed again, louder this time. She was broke, and she knew it. The Ninja needed a new oil filter last week, which had cost her most of her last paycheck, but hey, priorities were priorities, and the Ninja was at the top of Max's list. Oh well. She had to get the money somewhere, and there's nothing like a little petty larceny to put some spring in a girl's step.

+++

Max slid effortlessly through the upstairs window. She'd picked the house of a known Pulse profiteer, Issac Gosland, which made her feel less guilty about the fact she was about to rip him off, and good, too. It was like Robin Hood. Yeah, exactly. Steal from the rich to benefit the poor. 

There was a party going on downstairs, which made this easier because she could be sure nobody would wander in at an inopportune moment. Max glanced around. She was in a bedroom. The interior of the house was ugly. It was expensively decorated, but clearly all the money in the world couldn't buy this guy some taste. 

Her eyes wandered around the room. "What should I take…" she wondered. Maybe this was the best part of stealing. Deciding what to take, what probably wouldn't be missed, what would bring her the most money from the fencers. She walked over to the dresser and poked through a dish on the top. It contained some change, a few curling dollar bills, a wristwatch, a pack of cigarettes, and a few pairs of cufflinks. Max held the watch up to the light. It was a silver and gold Rolex, pre-Pulse. She was puzzled - it seemed like somebody as rich as this guy would own a showier watch, like the diamond-studded. Then she noticed it had an inscription of some sort on the clasp. ::Congratulations! Love, Mom and Dad:: She put it back down. This guy would definitely notice if it was gone. Plus, it was probably some sort of family heirloom or sentimental junk like that. Probably his mom and dad had to work overtime to buy the thing. She knew it would definitely net her more cash than anything else, but she just couldn't justify it in her mind. She picked up the cufflinks. They were hideous. Gosland definitely bought them himself. Perfect. She dropped them in her pocket and was heading back to the window when she heard someone approaching. It was a female voice. Then a deep voice responded. She stopped in her tracks as she heard the door open. 

"Are you sure nobody's in here?" the girl asked. Her voice was lilting and pleasant.

The voice nagged at Max's mind. I know that voice, she thought. At least I think I know it. But she couldn't place it. 

"I'll look around," said the man. "Stay there."

Max's eyes grew wide and she caught her lower lip with her teeth. No way, she thought. No way. Her eyes darted around the room as she looked for a place to hide, and she made a mad dash for the closet.

Clearly she hadn't been fast enough.

"Max?" 

"Logan…."

   [1]: mailto:mcfossil75@hotmail.com



	2. 

"Max," Logan hissed

"Max," Logan hissed. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at her with an appraising gaze. She was dressed in black and wearing gloves.

"Logan, look…" she started to say.

"Shhh…You were stealing, weren't you? I swear, you're like a klepto or something," he whispered.

"Come on, Logan, I'm out of money and I'm out of Tryptophan. What do you want me to do?"

"Why don't you borrow money from me or..."

Max cut him off. "No! You don't get it. I'm not…"

Logan jumped in again. "You're not what? Never mind. We can't do this right now. You have to get out of here."

"But…"

"No. Go. We'll talk about this later."

"But..."

"Go. I didn't see you take anything."

She raised her eyebrows. "Rebel. I swear…"

"Now." 

She crossed the room and slid back through the window.

As Max drove to the fencer, she tried to push the thoughts about the girl with her Logan to the back of her mind, but they kept coming back. Who was she? What was she doing with Logan? Her voice was so familiar, but its origin alluded Max's grasp. But she knew it, she knew it, she knew it. It nagged at her mind. Who was she? 

Max flicked on her blinker and turned right. She parked her bike and slid off. 

"How much?" she asked the fencer as she pulled the cufflinks out of her pocket.

"Lemme see those," he said and held out her hand. Max deposited one in his open palm. "Twenty-four karat gold, silver…"  
"Don't cheat me, man. That's platinum," Max said threateningly.

"Well, on closer inspection…"

Max smiled. This fencer was always a bit of a pushover. She studied his motions as he rolled the cufflink in his palm with his index finger and examined the stones that studded it.

"One fifty."

"Come on. Is that the best you can do?" Max leaned forward and licked her lips. The fencer visibly reacted, his face colored up nicely. Yup, she thought. A pushover.

"Two. Final."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Max handed over the other cufflink and the dealer placed ten worn, soft, dirty twenties in her outstretched palm.

As she walked back to her bike, she rolled the woman's voice across her mind once more. Then, the beep of her pager interrupted her reverie. 

She glanced at it. Logan. And he was going to want to talk.

+++

Max sat apprehensively on the floor of the kitchen. She rolled her bottle of Tryptophan across the floor between her hands. The pills made little clicking noises as the fell against each other. Back and forth. back and forth.

Why am I sitting on the kitchen floor? she though. Why not? Everybody had to sit somewhere. Unless they were standing, but then they had to stand somewhere.

She stood up. 

This is crazy. I'm crazy, she thought. 

She leaned against the counter and waited. She'd responded to Logan's page, and he said he was around and was going to stop in to talk about what had happened earlier that night. Great. Talking. Got to love the talking. 

The knock on the door pierced her thoughts. She strode purposefully across the room. Her hand hesitated above the knob, then grabbed it and gave it a sharp twist.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Logan entered the apartment and followed Max across the room to the kitchen. 

"Why are we in the kitchen?" he asked.

"Everybody has to be somewhere," she said tensely. He gave her a look. "It made sense in my head…"

"Riiiight. Anyway." Logan dropped his backpack on the floor. He glanced down and noted the bottle Max had left on the floor. "I see you got your stuff."

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you ask me for some money?"

"It's not like you're the First National Bank of Logan. I can provide for myself."

"Stealing is not providing. Next time, just ask. If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back." He smiled at her. He wasn't mad. Max felt slightly more at ease. 

"Whatever. So what were you doing at Gosland's place tonight?"

"Family obligation. No biggie."  
"And the girl? Who's she?"

"My secret passionate lover." Logan glanced at Max. "Kidding. Kidding. She's an informant. She just happened to be there, and she had some fortunate dirt to dish for our friend Eyes Only. Also no biggie."

"Ah. So why the big dealio? Why did we have to talk?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed pretty desperate to get a fix tonight. What if you couldn't find your seller?"

"You know, sometimes you're okay."

Logan reached down and grabbed his backpack off the floor. A book slid out. Max picked it up.

"A book?" she asked quizzically. 

"Yeah, funny thing, people used to read. They read books. Whack, huh?" he said sarcastically.

"Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse Five," she read off the cover.

"Take it. Read it. Enjoy it."

Logan pulled the backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door. As he left, Original Cindy and Kendra came in. 

"Logan," Kendra said by way of a greeting.

"Ladies." Logan disappeared down the hall.

"Hey boo. Wanna go down to Crash? Have a pitcher of beer?" Original Cindy asked.

"Nah. I'm not feeling to hot. I think I'll just hang here."

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

Kendra grabbed her jacket off the floor. 

"I left my jacket here. We'll see you later." They left.

Max sat back down on the kitchen floor with Logan's book. She definitely wasn't going to sleep tonight. Might as well do something. She folded back the cover.

::Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. Billy has gone to sleep…:: 


	3. 

Max read all night

Max read all night. She actually did fall asleep, right on the kitchen floor, which surprised her. She awoke, startled when she heard the door open and close. It was Kendra and Original Cindy.

"You comin' to work today, boo? Or do you want Original Cindy to cover yo' ass?"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

"Well, you look like hell. But if you say so."

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just a sec," she said over her shoulder as she headed for the closet.

Max slid out of her clothes from the night before and pulled on a grey t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. She cinched up the drawstring, laced up her shoes, and snagged her bicycle.

+++

The next few days passed uneventfully. Work. Crash. Occasionally mooch food off Logan. Home. Read, sometimes sleep. Max finished the book. It was good, she decided. She tossed it in her bag, mentally scheduling an impromptu drop-in on Logan after work to return it and possibly snag some dinner.

+++

"Hot run!" shouted Normal. "Thirty-third and Blue Sage!" He reached the package out toward Max. She shook her head.

"Nope."

"Max, I pay you to work. Now work. I'm not your babysitter. Now, bip, bip, bip." he said, tapping his watch with one hand while thrusting the package out toward her again. Max sighed, accepted the package, and dropped it into her bag.

She finished the run and dropped the forms back at JamPony. 

"Hot run! Max?"

"No, Normal. No."

She mounted her bike and sped up the ramp before Normal could say anything else. 

Max arrived at Fogel Towers and chained her bike to a post. She went up to Logan's floor. The door was ajar. She could hear Logan talking inside.

"No. I don't know. I'm working on it."

"Logan…"

Max almost jumped back in surprise. It was the voice! It was the girl from Gosland's. The informant.

"Logan, come on. You haven't found any of them? Not Zack? Not Zane? How about Jondy?"

"I had some leads, but they fell flat."

"What about Max?"

Max recoiled to hear her name. The girl knew her. The girl was looking for her.

"No. I don't know where she is. I've got a contact, though. She might be in, uh, Phoenix, but I don't know for sure."

"Logan…I have to know. I have to find them. They think I'm dead."

"I know. I know this important. But you have to be patient, Eva."

+++

Max's breath stopped. Eva? Manticore Eva? Her mind reeled, then it all clicked. That was it. The voice. It was EVA! Older, more mature, but it was Eva. Her first instinct was to turn and leave. Eva. She had to see her. She crept into the apartment. 

Logan was sitting at his computers. The girl paced back and forth. She was short and muscular. Her hair was dark red and pulled partially back with a rubber band. It skimmed her shoulders. Her eyes were wide. She was wearing jeans, a green T-shirt, a grey jacket, and running shoes. She stopped and stared at the ceiling, rolled her head across her shoulders, and pulled her hair up with her hands. Max could see the barcode. Eva dropped her hair, cracked her knuckles and resumed her pacing.

"I just can't wait anymore. I can't."

"Eva…"

"I'm not going to be in Seattle much longer. I've got to get back."

"I know. I'll keep you posted."

Eva stooped and picked up a bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulders. She headed for the door. Max ducked off into the kitchen.

Eva called over her shoulder, "I probably won't be by again before I leave. I'll call you when I get back."


	4. 

Max stood in the kitchen

Max stood in the kitchen. 

Breathe, she thought. Don't forget to breathe. Good. Now think.

She heard Logan moving around in the other room. 

Think. Think.

She slid towards the front door and slipped through. The hall was empty. Eva was gone. She slumped against the wall, drawing in deep, even breaths. 

Logan lied. The thought hit her like a truck. He lied. He lied to me. How long has he known? Why? Why didn't he tell me?

She gathered her nerves, then knocked on Logan's door.

"It's open," came his voice from within.

She walked in. Logan was still in front of his computers.

"Hey."

Act natural, she thought. Just be natural.

"Hey."

She reached into her bag and pulled out the book. She dropped it onto the computer desk.

"Thanks. It was good."

"Really? You like it."

"Eh, it gave me something to do instead of running amok and wreaking havoc on the fat cats of Seattle."

He gave her a look.

"Really. Good theme. War fought by children…ironic. Or would that be coincidental?" she asked.

"You dazzle me with your literary intellect. You want to borrow another one?" he smiled. Max looked away.

Logan studied her face. She looked tired. She wouldn't make eye contact with him. Something was wrong.

"You look tired."

"Nah…" she trailed off.

A thought fleeted across Logan's mind. What if…?

"Come on, Max."

Max passed several thoughts back and forth through her head. She could keep this a secret. He would never know. She could ask. But did she really want to know the answer? She could confront him, but what would he say? She had to say something.

"Max?" Logan looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"Eva."

Logan sucked in his breath.

"What? What's eva?"

"Not what, who. Cut the shit. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She looked directly at him. There was something in her eyes. It wasn't quite anger, but it wasn't quite sorrow. 

"Okay, so…"

She cut him off harshly. "How long? How long, Logan? How long have you known?" Her voice bit off each word.

"I don't know. Maybe.."

"Huh? HOW LONG?"

"About two years."

Max stopped short. Logan couldn't read her face. The silence was unbalanced. It felt like it would come crashing in on them.

"Two years. That means…that means…"

"Yeah. I found you because of her…Max? Max? You're shaking. Max?"

Max was pale. Her body quivered. She reached into her bag, instinctively searching for her Tryptophan bottle. 

"Max…slow down. You…You just need to... Sit."

Max sat.

Logan went into the kitchen. He returned with a glass of water. 

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell HER? For hell's sake, why didn't you tell either one of us? Quid pro quo, Logan. QUID PRO QUO. You promised me you'd tell me what you knew. You promised. Has this all been a lie? Have you been lying? Huh?"

"Max, no. Stop."

Max took the water and swallowed a few Tryptophan capsules, even though Logan was right, it hadn't been a seizure. But just to be safe. She set the water on the computer desk.

"Why didn't you trust me? You're like Zack. Logan, why didn't you trust me?"

"Max, it's not you I don't trust. It's Eva. There's something you need to know."

"I need to see her. I need to see Eva."

"You can't."

"Oh? Why the hell not? I've waited my whole life for something like this to happen."

"No. No."

"WHY? WHY NOT? WHY? WHY DO YOU DANGLE IN FRONT OF ME THE ONE THING I WANT IN MY LIFE, THEN PULL IT AWAY? WHY? HUH?" Max was screaming now.

Logan grabbed Max's hands and looked directly into her eyes.

"Max….Max….Eva works for Lydecker. That's why she's looking for you."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ly…Lydecker

"Ly…Lydecker." Max's eyes were empty. "Lydecker."

"Max…"

"No. No." Max shook her head. "No."

"Yes. But it's not like that. It's more complicated than that."

Max drew in a ragged breath. Suddenly, she started to cry. Just silently, tears ran down her cheeks.

"Max…" Logan reached out to her. She didn't resist. He pulled her towards him until she was practically sitting in his lap and then he stroked her hair, gently. It was tangled from riding her bike all day. He tried to think of something to say. Usually, he thought, people say 'shhhhh, it'll be okay,' but Max wasn't making any noise and it was most definitely not okay, so it didn't make any sense to say that. He let her cry for a while.

"Max, X-5 is over. After you guys escaped, the project was, for the most part, cancelled. The boards decided it just wasn't worth the risk. . The really young kids were placed in foster care - they don't remember any of it, really. Eva and a few others stayed at Manticore. Lydecker treats them fine. He has them convinced he just wants you all together again, so he can officially close the project. He has Eva convinced. Eva had me convinced."

"But it's not true." Max looked up. She wiped her tears on the back of her hand.

"Probably not. But if Lydecker suspects Eva isn't being straight with him….that's it. She's not safe. After I found you…and then I met Zack…"

"Does she know you're Eyes Only?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No."

"Are you going to get her away from Manticore?"

"Yes. But not yet."

"Why not? If she's not safe, then why not now?"

"Because I don't know how."

"Well, we have to find a way," Max paused. She was calming down. "I can't believe it. I mean, I saw it. I saw her die. I saw Lydecker shoot her."

"Max, you were a kid. You were scared. You were running. You were so hopped up on adreniline, you can't say to one hundred percent certainty what you saw that night. You didn't even know how many escaped until I told you.

"But I saw it. I know I did."

"He shot her, but she didn't die. They were right there - right where they could save her."

"How come she trusts him? After he shot her? He really shot her?"

"He really shot her, Max. She's got a big scar. But…she doesn't think it was him. She sees it different. She sees everything different. She doesn't see how Lydecker is using her."

"So why didn't you tell her about me? What tipped you off that Lydecker is Satan-on-earth?"

"I started to do a little research. I found what I found. Any person on the outside could see that Lydecker's up to no good. I decided to never look for you, that it would be safer if I kept Eva occupied…but then Fate flipped me the finger and you stole that statue. And here we are."

"Here we are." 

They paused again.

"So," said Max, measuring each word, "is there anything else I should know? Do you know where any of the others are?"

"Max, no, I honestly don't."

"Why should I believe you? You never told me about Eva."

"Please, don't think I'm holding out on you. I'm on your side."

" You told me you were looking. You looked for Zack...and Brinn…But you never tried to find them. Because of Eva. "

"No, I looked for them. All of them. Tinga, Jondy, Crit…I really did try." 

"What?" Max said, surprised. She was sure he'd never looked.

"After I found you. Then I started searching. For you."

"Why?"

"Because you deserved to know. Because you…because it was you, and you needed it so badly, and I felt like if I could do that for you…" Logan trailed off.

Max rolled this thought across her brain a few times. She smiled.

"Thank you," she said thinly, fervently. He smiled back. They sat quietly for a minute.

"When's the last time you ate?" Logan asked.

"Um…maybe…"

"Come on," Logan said, nodding toward the kitchen. "We'll see what we can find."

Max leaned in and kissed his forehead gently. She smiled again, stood, and sauntered toward the kitchen.

"Why are you so good to me? Huh?" she said lightly, laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

After a quick dinner, Max and Logan sat at the kitchen table

After a quick dinner, Max and Logan sat at the kitchen table. Max wanted to know everything about Eva. Logan didn't really know much. Finally Max seemed satisfied. 

"I've gotta blaze…I have to work tomorrow."

Logan studied her face. She looked so tired. She never looked tired, but she did now. Probably the shock of everything was finally taking its toll.

"No. No blazing. You're sleeping. Couch…go."

"But…" Max protested rather weakly.

"Yes."

"Well…" she seemed almost relieved to give in.

No one takes care of her, Logan thought. All the other X5s have each other, they all depend on Zack, they know they can find each other. But not her. He watched her move over to the couch, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"G'night."

"'Night."

+++

The next morning, Logan woke up, got dressed, and headed for the kitchen. He was surprised when he saw Max was still on the couch. He'd figured she be up and gone for work. What surprised him even more was that she was still asleep. He decided it would probably be best to leave her alone. 

Logan went into the next room and booted up his computers. As he was checking his various E-mail accounts, he heard a key slide into the lock and click over. A moment later, Bling entered.

"Hey," muttered Logan, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Bling gazed around the room. He quickly noted Max still sleeping on the couch. He raised his eyebrows.

"Busy night last night?" he asked sardonically.

"What? Oh, yeah. I mean, no. I mean…" Logan glanced at Bling, who nodded his head in Max's direction. 

Bling gave an all knowing smile.

"Not busy like that. Busy like she found out about Eva."

"Ouuuuch. Bet that didn't go over well."

"Actually, not so bad. But she was pretty emotional, and I didn't want her riding home like that."

"Whatever, man. Whatever. It's none of my business."

Logan opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but if he was, the thought got lost somewhere between here and there. He sighed and shook his head, smiling.

"Look, Bling, I just got an E-mail from Matt Sung. He wants to meet this morning. He's got some information on that 'accidental' fire that killed all those squatters last week. So can we possibly pretend we're back in high school some other time?"

"Whatever." 

"I'll be back in an hour. We can finish this then. When she wakes up, tell her where I went…If she asks, I mean."

"I maintain - whatever."

Logan left.

+++

Max woke up about fifteen minutes later. She sat up, ran her fingers through her hair, and looked around as the events of the previous night returned to her. She carefully considered her options. She looked down at her watch. She realized she had about one option - work. That or else call Normal and make some excuse for being late. The latter sounded better to her. She swung her feet down onto the ground and headed off to the kitchen. Bling heard her moving around. 

"Morning, Sunshine."

"Bling. Hey."

"Logan had to meet up with Sung. He said he'd be back later."

"'kay."

"Busy night last night?"

"Don't you wish you knew about it?" she said sarcastically. Bling smiled and shook his head.

"None of my business. You want something to eat?" he asked as he rooted through the fridge.

"Bling, what exactly do you do?"

"I'm the wind, babe."

"Which means?"

"Which means I make a mean omelet. Want one?"

"You bet your sweet A."

Partway through breakfast, Bling's cell phone began to ring. He took the call, muttering "Uh-huh. Huh. Uh-huh. Okay…." He snapped it shut and turned to Max.

"Gotta go."

"Another covert omelet operation?"

"Something like that." He jotted a not for Logan and dropped it on the counter. "See you later, Max."

Max sat quietly at the kitchen bar, nursing the remaining bit of her breakfast. Finally, she finished and carried her plate over to the dishwasher and dropped it in. She glanced over to Bling's now-vacant spot. His plate was still on the counter. She picked it up too, and as she carried it over to the dishwasher, she heard a knock on the door. She shrugged, deposited the plate into the sink, wiped off her hands, and headed for the door. She fiddled with the locks, then swung the door open to reveal Eva.

+++

Eva at first looked surprised, then a bit confused. Finally, she said "Is Logan here?"

"Ummmm….No. He had a meeting…or something."

"Oh. Well, I think I left my planner here. Do you care if I look around?"

"Nope. Go crazy." Max realized Eva had no idea who she was. She opened the door wider and let Eva in. She stared at Eva as she breezed past. She was dressed in a batik-print skirt and a tank top. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail. There was her barcode, naked and exposed, trailing across her neck. Anybody could see it. She wasn't hiding. She didn't care. 

Eva walked over to one of Logan's computer desks and began rooting through piles of papers. She made an exasperated noise. 

"I swear I left it here. Have you seen it? It's brown leather, about this big," she motioned with her hands.

"Umm..no."

"Damn. I really need it. By the way, who are you? I don't think we've met. Or have we? You look kind of familiar…"

"Uhhhh….is that it?" Max asked, pointing.

"Oh, great! Thanks so much!" Eva bent to retrieve the leather-bound planner from a pile of pamphlets and papers. Her hair rolled off to one side of her neck.

"Hey, um…that's a cool tattoo." Max said lamely, as her hand instinctively went to her own hair, making sure it was covering her neck.

Eva pulled her ponytail up. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. Does it mean something?"

"Kind of. It was a symbol for a group I was part of. I've got another one, too," Eva said as she pulled her tank top up with her free hand. An ankh was tattooed on her lower back. "I got this done last week, but it's just henna," she said, turning to reveal a brown batik sun encircling her navel. "I though about getting this one removed," she said, dropping her tank top and motioning to her neck, "But I though, hey, it's kind of cool. You know?"

"Yeah." Max was surprised. Eva was so animated, so excitable. She was trusting. 

"I'm Eva, by the way," Eva said, extending her arm. A silver Swiss Army watch slid down her tanned, freckled wrist. Max took her hand. It was strong, warm, and dry. 

I have to introduce myself, Max though. What am I going to say? She's going to find out anyway.

"Max."

"Max, huh? I used to know a girl named Max," Eva paused. "I always thought she was the only girl named Max. Unusual name for a girl. But I guess not. So how do you know Logan?"

"Ummm….let's see. I guess he's just a friend. We sort of…ran into each other a while ago."

"Hey, he's something else, isn't he? I just think he's so strange, staying up here in this big apartment all the time. It's like he's a recluse or something. But he's not really a recluse because, hey, he's not here today, which means he's somewhere else and don't recluses never go out? And he cooks. I always thought that was strange. Has he ever cooked for you?" Eva didn't pause to let Max respond. "He cooks really good, though. He always plays with is computers, too. Oh, but he's so nice, and he's really hot, too. You know, he's… I don't know. Oh, God, listen to me. I don't really talk this much, usually. Don't tell him I said anything," Eva grinned and bit her lip. "I honestly don't really talk this much."

"It's okay. So how do you know Logan?" Max was fascinated by her. She really wasn't afraid, not at all. She was never looking over her shoulder – her life was an open book. I could probably ask her about Manticore, Max thought, right here, right now, and she'd tell me everything.

"Oh, he's helping me look for some people. Actually, he's supposed to be finding Max. My Max, I mean."

"Maybe he did. Maybe it's me." 

Eva responded to this with a nervous laugh. "Oh, I doubt it. He said he had a lead, but no luck. But then that's always been the story – Lead, no luck, lead, no luck, you know?" She scuffed the toe of her sandal on the floor, looking down. "It gets hard sometimes. I really want to find her. There's others I'm looking for, too. But it's all the same."

"What if you did find one of them?"

"Oh, Jesus, I don't know. You know, I've been looking so long, it's almost like I've given up. I just keep looking because I don't know what else to do. I really thought Logan was the one who could find them, you know? He really seemed like he could do it."

"Eva, he did do it."

"What? Wait, what?"

"I'm Max. It's me."

"Prove it."

"It's me."

"Don't mess with me. I really don't appreciate this." Eva was growing visibly agitated. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Max gave an inward sigh. She felt bad for Eva. Last night, this had been her. She gathered her hair in her hand, lifted it slightly, and turned.

"Oh, God. Oh….Oh my God. Shit. It is you." Max turned around again. Eva's eyes were tearing up. 

"Oh, God. Max!" Eva practically lunged at her, embracing her in a hug. Max wrapped her arms around the girl. It was good to finally touch her - she was real. Max's feelings of elation of this discovery were still invaded by a pang of regret. Eva was just one - there were still so many Max hadn't found - might never find. But Eva is here now, she though. This is what's now.

"I have to tell Don. He'll be so excited."


	7. Chapter 7

"NO

"NO!" Max exclaimed.

"What? Why? What's the matter? He'll be so glad to see you again!"

"I'm just not ready to see him. I mean, seeing you…I think I need some time."

"Oh. Well, okay, I guess I can understand that. Oh my God - Max - I still can't believe it's really you! I've been looking for so long…for so long. How did Logan find you?"

"He just sort of…did."

"So were you? Were you in Phoenix?"

Max's defensive instincts suddenly flared up. She realized she really didn't know Eva. She couldn't trust her.

"Yep. Phoenix. Good old Phoenix, Arizona." 

"It's so hot there. What were you doing?"

"Living. Just, you know, trying to make a living."

"You got a job?"

"Yep. I, uh…" a memory of Original Cindy fleeted through her mind. "I sell insurance. Over the phone. Not the best, but it pays the bills. Or at least some of them."

"Tell me everything about you! You dating anyone?"

"I guess you could say…maybe. I'm in a thing. Confusing thing. Big, giant, confusing, complicated - but really great…thing."

They moved into the living room and sat on the couch, Max telling things about herself, though many of them were quickly fabricated half-truths, then Eva taking a turn. Then, Eva changed the topic.

"So, my sister, you're coming back to Wyoming with me, aren't you." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't know."

"Well, why not? Don't you want some closure?"

"I'm pretty closured out. I think it would just bring back memories better left alone, you know?"

"Oh, Max. There's so much they can give you. So many answers."

"Like what?"

"Oh, just stuff about you - why the project was closed, stuff like that."

"I don't know."

"What about your mother, Max? Don't you want to meet your mother?"

"My mother?"

Max's mind reeled at this new possibility. Her mother. "You know where my mother is?"

"Oh, sure. Don knows where all our moms are. In fact, a lot of them still work in Gillette and stuff."

"Do you know your mother?"

"Of course I do. I live with her, and my dad, and my brother."

"You've got a brother? And…and a dad?" Max was dumbfounded. Eva had a family.

"Yep. My brother, he's ten. His name is Trevor. My dad works on the base - so does my mom."

"What's your mom's name?"

"Pam. Max, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Do you have a picture of them?"

"Yeah. Oh, wait! Yeah! Just a sec." Eva picked up her day planner and began rooting through it. A few photos fell out onto the ground. Max stooped and picked them up. The one on top showed a bunch of people at a backyard picnic. Eight people stood smiling at the camera, while a few others walked unknowingly through the background. Eva glanced over at them.

"There's one. See? There's my dad….there's my mom. That's Trevor. There's me. There's some guys from my dad's office - that one's Matt Conner, and Ken something-or-other. That one's my mom's best friend, Lara. She's married to Matt. And there's Don, over there. This was at some party my parents had at our house last summer," Eva explained distractedly as she flipped through the planner.

Max almost dropped the picture. Don. Don Lydecker. Smiling, at a backyard barbecue. It was so wrong. It was the epitome of wrong, but there it was. Of course, most things these past twenty-four hours hadn't really made sense.

Eva continued sorting through the stacks of photos and papers that had been stuffed into the planner. They spilled out from between her fingers. Finally, she pulled one away and dropped the others onto her lap.

"Here." She handed Max a battered photo. Eva and four women posed for the camera. One was Eva's mom. One was Lara, from the other picture.

"Who are those two?" Max asked, pointing to the other two.

"That one's Lisa, she's another friend of my mom's. She's Zane's mother."

"Zane…"

"Do you see that one there?" Eva indicated a tall, slender woman to the left of the photograph as she passed it over to Max.

"Yeah."

"That's your mom."

"That's my mom?"

"Yep."

Max stared at the tiny face. It wasn't how she'd always pictured her mother, but there she was. Her fingers tightened around the photo and she could hear the paper crinkle as it folded in her grip. Eva shifted her weight and leaned over Max's shoulder. 

"Her name's Ruth. She works in the genetics lab."

"Do I have a dad?"

"She doesn't know who he is…you know how that goes. Anonymous donor, and all. She was married for a while, so I guess you have an ex-step-father. His name was Paul Bennett. But he was a loser."

"What's Ruth's maiden name? What's my last name?"

"You know, I don't know for sure. What else could I tell you about her? She likes blue. She's allergic to strawberries and ragweed. Umm…she's a Pisces. Oh, God. There's so much about her. You want to meet her, don't you? I mean, how could you not?"

Max did, more than anything want to meet her. _That_ was the answer. _That_ was the closure, or at least the first substantial step. To know what her life would have been, then to be able to face both paths, to put them side by side and say, _This is the right one. Running away and then Seattle, Logan, Original Cindy, Kendra, JamPony, and all of that, this is the best one, the one I would choose_. It was to face the demons and stare them down.

"She wants you back, Max. She wants you to come live with her again - I know she does. She told me. Whatever happened, for whatever reason, it's all over, and you're her _daughter_ and she needs you. Come back. Come back home."

"No. I couldn't. I do want to meet her - I do. But I won't stay."

"Why not? This is everything…"

"No. My life is here. Well, I mean, in Phoenix. My job, my friends…"

"But you will meet her?"

"Yes. Tell me more about Manticore. What about…Brinn?"

"Brinn's missing. You know that."

"No, she went back. She did."

"No, she didn't. Trust me. I would know if that happened. We're still looking for her. In fact, she's one of the ones I'm looking for."

"You're not looking for everybody?"

"No. Just you, Brinn, Tinga, and Zack. We're divided up, you know, so we can focus better. Or something."

"So what about…"

They heard someone outside the door. Max twisted around to see who it was. It was Logan. He stared at them for a moment.

"Oh. Shi," he muttered under his breath.


	8. Chapter 8

He kept staring

He kept staring. Max looked away. Eva stared right back. Logan didn't look away. They just sat there, silently staring. Eva picked at her fingernails, but she didn't look down. It was if she was trying to decide if she should praise Logan for finding Max, or chastise him for not telling her before. Finally, she spoke.

"You found her. Why didn't you tell me?" 

Was she angry? Logan couldn't be sure. 

"Was it a surprise? Were you going to surprise me?"

Logan gave an inward sigh of relief. He opened his mouth, but Max broke in.

"I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but you know, after I came all the way up from _Phoenix_?" she said pointedly, hoping he would catch it. "I couldn't wait. And then Eva left her planner here, and here she was, right here, and I couldn't not tell her it was me. After everything to get here. But I am sorry."

"Don't worry Max. It'll be okay." Logan said, his voice both grateful and understanding, as if to suggest he understood and would play along. "Eva, it would probably be best if you didn't go back to Wyoming today. Do you think you could put if off a little?"

"Sure, why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with…"  
"You're just going to have to trust me. And don't, under any circumstances, tell Lydecker or any of your superiors. Our confidentiality agreement? That still stands."

"Okay. There's something you're not telling me."

"Yes, there is. And I'm not going to tell you yet, either."

"But…"

"Nope. No buts. Remember? We play this part by my rules. Go use that phone over there. Call Manticore, tell them your source had a lead that you want to follow up on. Do NOT tell them about Max." Eva looked for a moment as if she might protest, but then changed her mind. She left the room. After they could hear her talking on the phone with muted tones, Logan turned to Max.

"Okay, first, before you say anything, this was NOT my fault," Max started, waiting for Logan to rip into her.

"I know. It was just another fluke. That's not the issue here. The issue is what to do now."

"What? What now?"

"She can't go back there. She's a threat."

"I know. So are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know. We'll just keep her here for a while. Distract her, I guess."

"Logan, she said she knew my mother. She still works at Manticore"

"She never told me that. Are you sure?"

Max glanced down and noticed the photo was still firmly wedged in her grip. She held it out to Logan. 

"The one on the left."

"She's very pretty. She looks like you."

"I want to meet her."

Logan knew this was coming. And he was already torn over it. Every instinct of his paranoid intellect said no. It was a huge risk, especially if she still worked for Manticore. It could be a ploy, another trap set by Lydecker's evil genius. It would certainly be a way to sucker Max in - playing to her emotions. But the rest of him said yes. He knew if he had a chance to see his mother again, he'd take it in a second. This was another piece to Max's mystery, one she so desperately wanted. And if he tried to discourage her…She would hate him. And she would probably do it anyway. He just didn't want to see her get hurt, or get in trouble…

"Logan? What do you think?"

"You're asking me what I think?"

"About my mother. Should I meet her?"

"You're asking _me_? I mean, you're _asking_ me. Why?"

"Well, I've had this picture of her, always. She won't be what I've always thought she was. There's just no way. But do you think it'll just be too disappointing? It'll be so hard… What if it's dangerous?"

"Max, this is up to you." _I can't believe I'm saying this…_Logan thought. "If this is what you want? We can try and arrange something."

"Really?"

"We can TRY. That doesn't guarantee anything."  
"Nothing every guarantees anything. It's never for sure."

"Don't be that way, Max. What's her name?"

"Ruth." The name felt strange, foreign on Max's tongue. "Ruth…I guess it would be Bennett." 

"I'll ask Eva. I'll try and get in touch with her."

Max dropped her head.

"Max," Logan said as he reached out and brushed her hair back, rubbed her back gently. "This will all work out in the end. It'll come out the way it's supposed to."

"And so it goes."

"You'll see."


	9. Chapter 9

After Eva returned from her phone call, she stood leaning against the doorframe

After Eva returned from her phone call, she stood leaning against the doorframe. She stared at Logan. She shifted her gaze to Max. They stared back.

"Again with the staring. Are you going to explain anything to me?" 

Max glanced at Logan, then nodded slightly to encourage him. They had to do it. He knew it. She knew it. And so he told. 

He told the story, manipulating the parts about Max in Seattle, and omitting the fact he didn't truly look for the X-5. Eva didn't seem to believe it. 

"Jesus, you are one funny little paranoid man."

"You don't believe me."

"How could I? This is Don we're talking about. He wouldn't lie to me." Eva's voice seemed unsure. In her mind, she realized that it _was_ possible. 

"Are you going to tell?"

"No. At least, not yet."

"You believe it?"

"No. If everybody's lying, if it's all been a lie, how do I know you're not part of it? Or that you're not lying right now? I don't believe it. But if it makes you sleep better at night, I won't tell. Yet."

"Good. Before, if and when, you tell, there's something else we have to take care of."

"If this about me not revealing you as my source, or your sources, or whatever, we've already covered that."

"No. This is about Ruth."

"Oh, Max and I already talked about that."

"I need contact information."

"Oooohhh, you're great, powerful informant net can't get you that?" she said, mostly jokingly.

"Don't mock me. I don't appreciate being mocked. I'm sure I could find it, but we're sort of running under some time constraints, here."

Out came the trusty planner again. She flipped pages, opened the rings that held them together, plucked a paper out, and snapped them shut again. She tossed Logan the sheet of paper.

"Home phone. Cell phone. E-mail and home address."

"Thank you. This is all under the highest confidence."

"You're strange. You're so strange."

"Eva, you're staying here until you go back to Wyoming. You better go get your stuff."

"Okay." Eva gathered up her bag and her planner and left.

"Logan, this is going to be hard."

"I know. You have to stay here, too. She has to think you're here from out of town. You're going to have to bring some of your things over."  
"Logan, I'm going to lose my job if I keep missing days."

"No, you're not. Don't you have sick leave or something?"

"I'm not sick."

"Sure you are. We'll get a note from your doctor."

"I've got to go."

"Come right back. Don't take your bike when you come back. Here's money for a cab." He pulled a few curling bills out and handed them to her. She left. Alone again, Logan headed for his computer. He quickly drafted an E-mail to be sent to one rbennett@us.gen.manticore.gov from an untraceable account.

Logan hesitated for only a moment, shadows of doubt still pressing him, then clicked SEND.

Some time later, Max returned.

"I did it," he said, not having to explain any more. "Now we wait."

Eva came back a few minutes later. They sat quietly. Logan felt very uneasy. This was going to be much more difficult than he'd originally anticipated, and he had by no means thought it would be easy.

There was another knock at the door. It made them all jump a bit. Max and Logan could tell Eva had begun to honestly consider what they had told her, and it was taking its toll. They all stared at the door, hearing a key turn in the lock. It was Bling.

"Hey," he said to Logan.

"Hey."

"Hey," Bling turned to Max.

"Hey."

"Hey." Eva this time.

"Hey."

"Heeeey. Well, if we're quite finished with this, I believe you and I," Bling said, motioning to Logan, "have some unfinished business."

"Right." Bling and Logan left the room.

"What _does_ he do?" Eva asked, half to herself, half to Max.

"Nobody knows. Personal assistant, bodyguard, physical therapist, light housework, sympathetic ear, computer tech, lifter of heavy things, all-around-good guy. He's a man of mystery. He's the wind."

"The wind? What the crap is that supposed to mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Hunh."

+++

The next day, Logan handed Max a thin manila envelope. She'd passed envelopes like these on to other people before. They usually contained sector passes, tickets, passports, and such documents. 

"For who?" she asked.

"You." 

She slid her finger under the flap. The paper caught on her finger and cut a razor-thin paper cut. Ignoring the stinging, she withdrew a sheaf of papers. A drop of blood beaded on her finger, then slid off, spotting the train ticket she now held in her hand.

"Eva set up a meeting. Devil's Tower, Wyoming. Daily Bread Café. Be there at noon. Here are train tickets, sector passes, um…hotel reservations…Am I forgetting anything? You're going with Eva. Ruth doesn't know it's you, so don't blow it if you don't want her to know." 

"Logan…I can't believe this. No terse warnings? What about confidentiality, security? No 'Max, this could be a trick?'"

"Max, I should probably saying all those things. And more. You're right - this is a huge security risk - Huge. But I know if it were me, and I passed this up, I'd regret it the rest of my life. And I'm not going to be the one that keeps you from this. So there it is. It's up to you now. Let me know if you decided to go."

Max didn't quite know what to do. She dropped the sector pass and the tickets back into the envelope. She felt a rising lump in the back of her throat. _Say something_ she thought. _say SOMETHING. Say thank you…_

"I…I" Her voice caught. She turned and left.


	10. Chapter 10

Two days later, Max stepped off a train in the town of Devil's Tower

Two days later, Max stepped off a train in the town of Devil's Tower. It was one of those towns that wasn't so very affected by the Pulse - it had been rather uninterested in technology to begin with, so a lack of technology left it mostly the same as it had been before. Eva stepped down next to her.

"You nervous?" she asked.

"Terrified," replied Max.

+++

After Max and Eva checked into their hotel, Max flopped down on one of the beds and let out a sigh.

"Really, Max, you don't have to be so nervous."

"Of course I do. This is my whole life, and it's going to take a change, right here at noon. And I know it's coming. You don't usually know that."

"What makes you nervous? Is it Ruth?"

"No. Yes. Partly. I mean, it's partly her and partly me and partly that this is all still tied to Manticore."

"You're really afraid of Manticore, aren't you? Why?"

"I just am. You would be too, if you were me. Or if you were you. Why aren't you afraid? Why don't you believe Logan and me?"

"I haven't seen anything that would make me believe you two. I mean, if it's taking what I've known and lived all my life against Logan, who I met two years ago, and you, who I've known all of four days, is there really any reason to ask?

"Well, maybe it's because my whole life, I've seen what I've seen."

"Max, you haven't _seen_ anything. It's just what you remember. And are you going to take old, probably distorted memories against my word, when I'm there and I see Don and Manticore every day?"

"So you really don't believe us."

"I'll believe it when I see something to back it up." Eva glanced down at her watch. "Do you need to get ready or anything? We need to go soon."

"Oh, God. What should I wear? I don't have anything to wear. I'm about to meet my mother, and I don't have anything to wear. Do you think I should wear a skirt? Or a dress? I'm not really a skirt person. Or a dress person. What should I do?"

"Okay, first, you should breathe. And second, you should not worry about it. And third, wear this," Eva said as she threw a pair of jeans at Max's head. "As cliché as this sounds, just be yourself."

Max quickly snakehipped into the jeans, pulled a red T-shirt over her head, and shrugged into her jacket. They left the hotel and walked through the muddied streets. The air was damp and earthy and Max felt her apprehension begin to ebb. She felt calm and electrified at the same time. The café wasn't far from the hotel, and they quickly arrived.

"Wait here," said Eva. "I'll see if she's here yet."

Max remained on the sidewalk as Eva quickly glanced inside. 

"Come on. Are you ready?"

Eva held the door open. A tiny windchime hung from the handle - it caught and twisted in the breeze, its thin, clear notes hanging in the air. Max gathered her nerves and slid inside.

And there was Ruth.


	11. Chapter 11

Max felt Eva gently nudging her along with her foot

Max felt Eva gently nudging her along with her foot. Eva assumed the lead and walked over to the table where Ruth sat. Max followed silently.

"Hey Ruth. This is a friend of mine."

"Eva. I didn't know you were back."  
"Not back. Passing through. That's why the weird meeting place."

"Not a problem. How was Seattle?"

"Rainy."

Ruth turned to Max. "Nice to meet you."

Max struggled to find her voice. "You too."

"So anyway, I missed you around Eva."

"Same. How are things in Gillette?"

"Your mom's gonna be mad when she finds out you stopped through and didn't call."

"Oh, come on Ruth. You know how it is. If I go home, I won't want to go back out, and I'm right in the middle of a project."

"Yeah, I get it, but does she?"

"You won't tell her, will you."

"I can't promise. You know, I finally picked a color for my new carpet."

"Really? Which one?"

"It's called 'sand dune', which is a stupid name for a carpet color if you ask me. It was that kind of beige-y one with the flecks…"

Max drifted back into her own mind. Ruth was very animated, gesturing with her slender hands and French-tipped nails. Logan was right - she was very pretty. Her glossy, dark hair was pulled back with a leather wrap, and her willowy frame was covered with grey pants and a dark sweater. Ruth was likeable, even. But Max was disappointed. She felt no rush of emotion for this woman - she was another stranger. But Logan was right; At least now she knew for sure. 

The waitress interrupted Max's thoughts. They went around the table, ordering, then Ruth pushed her chair back, making a harsh scraping sound.

"I'll be right back," she said. "I'm gonna go wash my hands." 

"Well?" Eva hissed, excited. "Are you going to tell?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, I had all these expectations, and I just don't feel right. It doesn't feel right."

"Are you okay?" Eva's face grew concerned. "Are you gonna be okay? You're really not going to say anything?"

"I don't think so."

It didn't matter though. Max didn't need to tell. Ruth walked back towards the bathrooms and fished her cell phone out of her purse. She flicked it open and punched up a speed dial number.

"Deck? I think I've got an X-5 on my hands."


	12. Chapter 12

After Ruth finished her phone conversation, she ducked off into the bathroom, washed her hands, and returned to the table

After Ruth finished her phone conversation, she ducked off into the bathroom, washed her hands, and returned to the table. Ruth and Eva kept up a steady stream of casual, familiar conversation. Every once in a while, Max would put in a comment, but for the most part, she felt very much like an intruder. This was a normal life, chatting over lunch, and she was unaccustomed. Not to mention, she knew where she was. Although Gillette was miles away, it was if she could feel Manticore in the air. It was if Ruth had brought some of it along with her. 

The biting chirp of Eva's cell phone broke the conversation. 

"Hello? Oh, hey….Mmm…. Uh-huh…. Yep….No. No way!….Are you sure? When? How soon? Okay. Umm…I think so… 'Kay. See you then. Bye." Eva turned back to Ruth and Max. "That was Don." Max visible recoiled. A slight smile played across Ruth's lips. "I've got to head out." Eva glanced at the remains of the lunch. She looked at Max. "Shall we?" Max nodded. "It was great to see you, Ruth. I'm going to be back pretty soon. Oh, and remind me when I get back, I wanted to borrow that book from you."

"Okay. I'll talk to you when you get back." She looked at Max. "Nice to meet you, too."

Max nodded slightly and smiled. 

Eva laid a few bills on the table and dropped a clattering handful of change on top of them, then motioned to Max, and they turned and left. 

Max turned toward Eva as they walked back up the street to the hotel.

"So, what's the dealio?"

"They just got a major lead on Tinga. I've got to get back to Manticore a-sap, then they're going to send me back out. Oh, God. I'm going to have to leave you…I'm so sorry…"

"No, it's okay."

"Well, you've got the train tickets. You can just head back to Seattle tomorrow."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

The walked back up to the hotel. Eva gathered her things and called a cab.

"Max, we are going to see each other again. We'll figure this all out."

"I hope so." 

Eva picked up her suitcases and left the room. Max flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. It was an old building, and cracks crisscrossed the plaster. Max thought about Ruth. She thought about Logan. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Eva? Did you forget something? Way to go…" she yelled out, as she rose up and crossed to the door. She opened it. And found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. 

+++

It only took Max a moment to register: Manticore. There were about five of them, in black fatigues and armed to the gills. No Lydecker in sight.

"SH!T!" she yelled. She felt adrenaline surge through her body, as her fight-flight instinct kicked in. Surprisingly, she found herself choosing flight. She ran for the open window on the other side of the room. As she ran, her brain ticked off thoughts at rapid speed. _ why are you running? they'll just shoot you in the back…is this eva? is this ruth? is it you? logan? where are you running to? how are you possibly going to get through that window in time….stupid, stupid, stupid…_

She reached the window and began to scramble through it. She heard the soldiers behind her, then felt someone grab at her ankles and wrench her down to the ground. She prepared to flip up to her feet, to fight back, but she felt a jolt of electricity surge through her body, then blacked out. 


	13. Chapter 13

Max squinted her eyes

Max squinted her eyes. They refused to focus. _I'm gonna be late for work. Normal's gonna kill me…_ Max's thoughts scattered. She vaguely felt the sensation of laying on the floor. _Am I hung over? I don't remember… _ Max tried to open her eyes again. Then suddenly, everything slammed back to her. She rolled onto her back and struggled to prop herself up on her elbows. Her skin scraped against cold concrete. She took stock of her surroundings, the tiny cell. It didn't take long. She dropped back onto the floor and a moan slipped out. Her body ached. She glanced at her watch. It was late. Was it the same day? She couldn't be sure. 

A guard, drawn by the sound of her moan, glanced into the cell. He unclipped a radio from his belt and mumbled something incomprehensible to Max. Whoever was on the other end said something back, but to Max, it was mostly static. The guard spoke again, then returned the radio to his belt and pulled of a ring of keys. He unlocked to door, strode purposely over to Max, and roughly pulled her off the floor.

"Come on," he said commandingly. 

Max quickly tried to form a plan in her head, to try and beat the guard, escape. She felt her knees start to give out. The guard held her up by her arm. _Shit_.Max thought. _This is it. This is what it's all going to come to._ She looked at the guard. He was all of twenty, with dark hair and dark eyes. _He has nice eyes_, she thought. The guard's eyes darted away, the returned to her. His countenance softened visibly. 

"You okay?" he asked, more gently.

"What?"

"I said, 'Are you okay' You don't seem…"

"Well, one could imagine."

"I'm sorry. I mean… Can you stand up?"

"I think so," Max said. She could feel her balance beginning to return.

"Um, could you put your hands…um, back?" He almost seemed embarrassed.

Max sighed and moved her arms back. A pain lighted down her back. She flinched slightly. The guard carefully clicked handcuffs over her wrists.

"Too tight? Is your back okay?"

Max shook her head.

"Here, come on." He held her carefully by the arm and gently nudged her down the hall.

"So, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" Max asked.

"What?"

"This doesn't really seem your speed - the whole 'army guy' thing."

"No. Just like everybody else - trying to pay the bills. I really wanted to go to college, but I don't know… You know, the military will give…"

"So what's your name?" The guard hesitated. "I'm Max."

"Christian. Well, Chris." He dipped to catch her as she stumbled. "You okay? You've got so many tranqs running through you, no wonder…"

"Yeah."

"How 'bout you?"

"Huh?"

"Why do they want you? What did you do?"

"I was born," Max spat, bitterly.

Chris fell silent. 

"Where are you taking me, anyway?"

"There's a guy who wants to see you."

They walked through the winding concrete halls. Chris swiped a keycard clipped to his belt, opening doors and more doors. They entered a wing that seemed much less institutional, more of an office. It had burgundy carpet. It was really nice carpet, Max decided. 

"Who picks the carpet?"

"What?" Chris glanced at Max, confused.

"I mean, they build this huge facility, for all these people, to do all this other stuff to other people. Who thinks about carpet?"

"Um… I don't know?"

"Well, I didn't really mean it. I mean, it just sort of came into my head. I feel… a little random."

"I see. Don't worry, it'll wear off." 

They walked in silence a bit longer, then Chris stopped and rapped on a door.

"Come in." 

Chris let go of Max's arm, and opened the door. She watched his composure stiffen again, every bit the soldier. Amazing. It was a nice office. It could have been any office, at any company. Except there, behind the desk, sat Donald Lydecker. His eyes met hers.

"Welcome home, Max."


	14. Chapter 14

Max shuddered involuntarily

Max shuddered involuntarily. Lydecker made a motion to Chris, who bent and unlocked the cuffs. Max flinched, another shot of pain running across her shoulders.

"Sorry…sorry," she heard him whisper under his breath.

"Leave us," Lydecker commanded.

"Yes, sir." Chris saluted, the turned and left. Max longed for him to stay. She wanted to shriek after him, "NO, STAY! PLEASE STAY!" Instead, she bit her lip and stared at Lydecker.

"Sit." He motioned to one of the two chairs that sat in front of the large mahogany desk. She sat.

"Good to see you again," Lydecker said. _Is he being snide? Or sincere? He almost seems like he means it…_

"Well, hard to stay away from family," she said, caustically. 

"Max, Max. Such behavior."

Max felt herself go cold. 

"Why did you run, Max? Huh? Why? Did you really think I wouldn't find you? You're mine. You're my creation, my brainchild, mine. I made you. And you ran anyway. Why?"

__

Does he really want me to answer? Does he really expect me to? She remained silent.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. You're here now, where you belong. This **is** where you belong."

He stopped again, searching her face.

"There's so much for you, Max. You know that don't you? You're flawed."

She shook her head slightly, wincing. 

"What? No? So I guess you do sleep all night, I guess you don't seize out…"

"That doesn't make me flawed." 

"Yes, it does. You're flawed, you're flawed. You know it."

"No."

"You're too emotional. Just look at you."

"That's not a flaw."

"Yes it is. Self-pity? Flaw. Compassion? Flaw. Desire? Flaw. Sorrow? Flaw. It gets in the way, it's a flaw."

"No," she said again, softly. She felt a dull ache in her head.

"You don't look right. Are you going to pass out?" His voice was still cold. He seemed annoyed.

"No…" Max felt lightheaded. When Lydecker talked, it was if he was right there, right inside her head.

"Max?" Max slumped back. Lydecker walked over to her. She was passed out. He felt her pulse. It was there, he decided, and that was good enough. He picked up his radio from his desk and called a guard.

+++

When Max came to again, she found herself laying on the narrow bench inside the cell.

"Are you okay?"

"Logan?"

"Who's Logan? No, it's me, Chris."

"Chris."

"Yeah, from last night. Remember."

"Yeah." She dropped her feet to the ground and sat up, leaning against the wall.

"Here." He held a sandwich out to her. "You've got too many tranquilizers running through you, not enough food. When's the last time you ate?"

"Depends. What's today?"

"Friday." The lunch had been Wednesday.

"Two, maybe three days ago."

"Well, no wonder." Max accepted the sandwich. She had doubts about eating anything made at Manticore.

"Don't worry. It's just from the cafeteria." 

"Do you have any milk?"

"What?"

"Milk. Do you have any milk?"

"Um, yeah. Just a sec." He disappeared for a minute, then reappeared, holding a carton of chocolate milk. "Here."

"Thanks." She began to eat slowly, realizing gradually that she was starving. And that she would really like a shower. _Although I don't suppose that really matters anymore._

Chris leaned against the wall opposite the door, watching her eat.

Max felt strange, to be here, to be now, eating this sandwich with mayonnaise, which she didn't really like, joking with this stranger, given all the givens. Crazy. _I wonder what Logan's doing. I wonder if he's realized something's wrong. I wonder if Normal's fired me yet._ She licked her fingers off carefully, then downed the milk. 

"That guy wants to see you again."

"'kay." Max stood up as Chris opened the door. She put her hands behind her back and they began the previous day's journey again. 

Max took her chair in front of Lydecker's desk again.   



	15. Chapter 15

Chris turned left instead of right

Chris turned left instead of right. He was meeting some friends for lunch. The guy in the office said they wouldn't need him again for a couple hours. 

"Hey man!" Three other guys in fatigues walked up behind him.

"Hey."

The four swaggered down the hall, joking and laughing.

"So, Chris-man, where you been?"

"Oh, new assignment. Guarding a body."

"From what?"

"Dunno. Running away, I guess."

"Criminal?"

"They say. Doesn't look it. It's a girl."

"Man, girls can be evil, too."

"I know. You don't have to tell me that. Remember that one girl? Man, she bit me. Broke the skin. Killer."

"Oh, yeah. That was hilarious."

"Sure. I don't remember that. Anyway, this girl just doesn't seem like the type. She's real pretty, too."

"Sure, man. Sure - there's a way to meet a girl."

"No. I mean, she's nice."

"So what's this chica's name?"

"Says Max. Who knows? They picked her up just out of here, I think."

Chris felt someone touch his shoulder. He turned.

"Excuse me, did you say Max?"

Chris looked at the small, redheaded girl. Her fingers tightened around the planner she was carrying. He'd seen her around…what was her name? Elsa? Elise? Eva. 

"Yes, I said Max. Why?" The girl seemed pale."About this tall, dark, curly hair, olive skin?"

"Yes. And she had some weird mark on her neck."

"Why? I mean, why is she here?"

"I don't know. They found her just out of here. Devil's Tower, I think. But, I just guard the body."

"When?"

"Wednesday."

"Jesus. Where is she now? Right now? Do you know?" She seemed frantic.

"Some guy…some guy wanted to see her. Um,…" Chris searched for the name.

"Lydecker? Don Lydecker?"

"Yeah, that's it. Why? Are you okay?"

"No," she said very simply. "Thank you." 

She turned and headed in the opposite direction, holding her pace just below a run.


	16. Chapter 16

"Dude, what was that all about

"Dude, what was that all about?" asked one soldier, watching Eva leaving

"Dunno."

They continued down the hall until they were stopped again by their commanding officer. He turned to Chris.   
"Soldier, report to my office at sixteen hundred hours. You're getting a new assignment."

"What about my guarding job?"

"Change of plans. The prisoner is being transferred to wing Q, SL eight."

"But that's where the medical labs are."

"Yes. Well, that's what I was told."

They exchanged salutes and the officer continued down the hall. This bothered Chris immensely. It just didn't add up. Max seemed harmless. Most of the people he saw moved through were surly, resistant. She just seemed very resigned. But then, he thought, still waters run deep. But she'd had plenty of chances to make a move. She wasn't even being kept under very strong security. She was, he suspected, heavily drugged, but beyond that, she was treated with no extraordinary precautions. They were trying to break her. And then the exchange with the Eva girl, and sending Max to the medical labs. Maybe it was a mix-up. Maybe not. He paused.

"Guys, I gotta pass on lunch after all. I have some, erm.. papers I have to finish."

"Whatever man. See ya."

Christ turned and headed quickly in the direction Eva had taken. He vaguely remembered she had an office, somewhere near where he had taken Max. He walked past doors, glancing at the brass placards screwed next to the door frames. He finally chose one, knocked, and not bothering to wait for a response, opened it. Bingo.

Eva stood behind a delicate alderwood desk, the top scattered with picture frames, papers, and a large planner. Her back was to the door. She was shaking slightly. He saw her hold up a sleek 9mm Baretta. She rubbed it briefly, making it gleam, then jammed a clip in and shoved the gun in the waistband of her pants, pulling her jacket down over it. She turned, still seeming not to see Chris, and pulled another clip from the desk drawer, dropping it in her pocket. She glanced up, then jumped.

"S--t. I didn't see you there."

"Sorry."

"What to you want?" she said brusquely, tracing the inside edge of her eye with her finger. 

"You seemed so… startled in the hall. I just wanted to make sure you were… um, okay."

"Fine. Things here are going just swimmingly, thank you." Her voice wavered slightly. 

"Look," he said, his voice hardening. "I know there's something going on. This all has to do with that girl, that Max. And now you're running around with a gun in your pants on the verge of tears, and Max is being transferred to the Q wing. What is going on?"

"Q? Are you sure?"

"Fairly."

She sank down in the desk chair and rubbed her temples. "This is my fault. Mine. I got her to go…"

"Come on, tell me what this is all about."  
"There was a project. Project Manticore, right? Ever heard of it?"

"Yes. But that's just about an urban legend. It's not true."

"Yes, it is. X-1 through… I don't know how high it went. Max was part of that. That's what's on her neck."

"How do you know this? How_ could_ you know this?"

"I'm X-5. Max and I were in the same phase," she said weakly, and lifted her hair to show him her baarcode. "She ran, she got away. A bunch did. But because of me, they caught her again. But I didn't know, I didn't know…"

"So if they did things to you like everybody says, why are you still here? Why didn't you run?"

"I…I don't know. I wanted to run… I grabbed a gun.. and…" her hands unconsciously went to her scar and traced over the spot without actually touching it. Then, she suddenly dug her finger into the spot. "I was shot. Somebody shot me. I couldn't run."

"But why now? Why are you still here now?"

"It's all I know. I have a family, and everything… Do you think that's true, or is it a lie too? Who turned Max in?"  
"I don't know where the tip-off came from. A team brought her in. This is corrupt."

"This whole damn base is corrupt. Everything. And you're in it, knee deep."

"So what should I do?" Chris asked.

"What?"

"How do you want me to help? To get her out. And you."

"You can still walk away from this. You _need_ to walk away from this. Forget it."

"Nope. No possible way. I don't want to be a part of something that would do stuff like that to kids. Or you. Or her. Hell, I don't even _like_ the military," he laughed slightly. "I just joined to get some cash, but I haven't seen much of that for a long time. So I guess this was kind of like a sign. Now what do you want me to do?"

"Do you have a car?"

"A Cherokee."  
"Get it. Leave it somewhere we can get to it, easy. By the west door of the L wing, I think. And make sure the tank's full. Now go swipe somebody's passkeys, the highest clearance you can get. Go."

Chris nodded. This entire thing was positively crazy, he decided, but what he had said was true. He was sick of living here, the squalor, the corruption. He had nothing here. At least this was something new. He knew of a particular lieutenant who liked to take some drinks about right now. It wouldn't be too hard to get his hands on his passkeys.


	17. Chapter 17

Max had been sitting silent for about twenty minutes

Max had been sitting silent for about twenty minutes. Lydecker stared at here. She stared back, stubbornly, unyieldingly. Finally, he broke the silence. 

"So, here we are again."

"Here we are."

"How are you today, Max?"

"Fine, wonderful. Good sleep. Must be all those tranquilizers. And you, Don?" Max asked, bitingly. 

"Good. Max, Max, it's unbecoming to be so cynical. So are you ready to talk?"

"About what?"

"Whatever you'd like. How about the others? Where are the others, Max?"

"I don't know."

"Come on now, lets be reasonable."

"I'm not stupid. I honestly don't know where they are. But you know, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"I would hope not. I trained you better than that."

"Oh, you trained me wonderfully. Let's talk about this," Max said, attempting to motion around the office, but forgetting her hands were still secured both behind her back and to the mahogany wing chair she sat in. 

"How's everybody here at dear old Manticore? Here on the base?"

"Good. Anyone in particular?"

"Brinn. How's Brinn? Is she still here?"

"She was doing better, but she lapsed. But then, you're all flawed. Max, don't be so suspicious. She's not ill-treated. We're not _cruel_."

"Then what about Zack? Yes, that was quite the picture of hospitality you showed him."

"That's different. This is a case-by-case basis. He's the link to all of you." Max was surprised by Lydecker's willingness to share information. 

"Let's talk about Ruth."

"What about Ruth?"

"She's the one, isn't she? She gave the tip-off."

"Smart girl. Yes, she did."  
"And she's not really my mother."

"Verrrry astute."  
"What about the others? It came to me that they were with families, too." 

"Some of them. Some of them were more suited to the military still. But yes, they have families. The families don't know. It's like a foster kid."

"All the better to keep your secrets, perpetuate your lies."

"I gave them families."

"But not their real families."

"Max, don't be stupid. They don't _have_ real families. None of you do. Your mothers are dead. They were worthless - worthless whores. They sold you out."

"My mother was not a whore."

"Come on Max, she just did it for the money. She was nothing more than a dirty slut, looking for some cash for a fix. She was a disgusting, grimy crack whore."

"Don't be ridiculous. You'd never use crack babies. That would compromise everything - the integrity of the project. You're just trying to break me."

"I forget how smart you are. But does it really make you feel any better to know that your mother was a beautiful woman, wonderful, smart. They all were. Which one…which was your mother? Ah, yes. I remember. She was an incorrigible flirt. She liked real silk, green, especially. Crazy about it. And we forced them to do this, she begged for mercy - begged that we wouldn't hurt you or the others, She never held you, Max. She never touched you. She barely _saw_ you , and yet, she begged for you. And when it was all done, when Manticore was closed, we shot them all. Like dogs. And burned the bodies."

"You're horrible. God," she said quietly, tersely. "I hate you. You don't even know that." Lydecker seemed enflamed by this remark. He shoved his chair back and strode across the room. 

"NEVER say that. You WILL respect me." He pulled back his arm and slapped her full across the face. Her neck snapped back, her hair whipped across her face. Her face burned as four distinct finger marks raised against her cheek. 

"No." Lydecker made a move like he was going to slap her again. She instinctively winced backward. He paused and began to laugh.

"DAMN YOU! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Eva's frame filled the doorway, legs spread slightly, head held high, with a silver Baretta trained on Lydecker's chest.


	18. Chapter 18

Eva and Chris had been standing outside the door

Eva and Chris had been standing outside the door. Eva could hear what they were saying, heard every word. She'd known this was it, now or never. 

As soon as she'd opened the door, screamed out at him, he had his gun drawn too, trained on Max. Max was completely defenseless, her whole body exposed because of her position. He touched the gun to her scalp.

"Come on, now Eva. Let's be reasonable."

"Be REASONABLE? Reasonable? Can you hear yourself?"

"I will shoot you. I will."

Lydecker stared at her intensely. He slowly lifted the gun from alongside Max's head, then sighted it at Eva. 

"Well, Don. Here we are again."

"Again?"  
"That night? You remember that night. Your kids ran away, Don. But not me. Not me." She elongated the words. "Because you shot me. You didn't care. You didn't give a rat's as$ about any of us.

"That's not true, Eva."

"Then why? Why did you shoot me?"

"IT'S NOT TRUE. I cared about you, all of you," he said, glancing momentarily at Max.

"So what are you going to do now? You going to shoot me? Shoot me again? Because you care?"

"Eva, DON'T do this. I will…"

Eva cocked her head. Chris ran in and knelt next to Max, quickly undoing one side of the cuffs. He pulled her up.

"Come on," he whispered.

"No….I," she protested.

"This isn't about you. Come on." She allowed him to pull her after him, into the hall. They stood against the wall. The hallway was still empty. Most of the office was on lunch break. 

"EVA, DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS. I will, I swear to God, I'll do it again." His voice sounded shaky, as if he might be crying.

"Go ahead, Don. Go ahead. Do it. DO IT! DO IT NOW! I _DARE_ you."

"Eva, EVA, EVA!" His voice was anguished. Hers was taunting. 

"Is it because you love me, that you can't do it? Because I'm yours? Because you gave me this life, and you can't bear to take it now? Do it….do it…."

Chris and Max winced as they heard a gun go off. No screams followed. Then -

"You CHICKENSHIT! You shot me in the ARM! You can't even do it." They heard a report from the Baretta, then Eva dashed into the hall.   
"Come on." They stared at her arm. Blood was running freely, dripping off her fingertips. "_Come on._" Chris shucked his jacket and wrapped it around her arm to keep the blood from getting on the carpet. They took off running. Chris had the stolen passkeys. They swiped them, repeatedly, turning and going through doors, down stairs, up stairs. Max lost orientation. 

"Did you kill him?" Max asked carefully.

"Shot him in the leg. Keep him from coming after us. I couldn't kill him…"

They heard echoing footsteps, running and shouting.

"They're chasing us. Come on."

"Where are we?"

"L wing. We're almost there." Chris kept trading passkeys. 

__

He must've stolen a couple sets. Eva thought _To keep them from tracing us._ Chris swiped the cards again, and they ducked into a room and waited for the footsteps to pass. They ran up another few flights of stairs. Eva began to stumble. Her face was pinched and pale. 

"We're almost there."

She nodded determinedly. They went into another room, then walked to the window. The window caught in the frame. Max jammed it with her hand and it screeched open. The slid through, one at a time, landing with a gentle thud on the grass below. The blue Cherokee sat waiting. Eva lost her footing. Max grabbed her other arm, pulling her up gently. They got into the Cherokee, slammed the doors. Chris gunned the engine.

"What do you bet they've alerted the perimeter?"

"Odds are good. But don't worry. There are people like you out there," Eva said in the way of reassurance. Chris kept with the speed limit. Eva lay across the backseat, the jacket around her arm slick and soaked with blood. They arrived at the nearest gate. The guard eyed them suspiciously. He began to reach for the phone.

"Wait." Eva reached into her pocket with her good arm and drew out a few bills folded together. She handed them to Chris, who handed them to the guard. The guard paused, pocketed the bills, and opened the gate.

"Then," Eva continued, muttering. "There are people like him. This whole damn universe is corrupt, from the very bottom to the very top." 

"Okay," Chris said, easing the Cherokee out into traffic. "We've got to get to a hospital."  
"No! They'll find us there. We've got to go to Seattle." Eva was insistent. 

"Seattle! Are you crazy? That's at least a day away. You'll bleed out by then. What's in Seattle?"

"A friend. He'll get you and Max where you need to go. Me too. I'll be okay."

"No, you won't. You've just been _shot_, for cripes sake. You just can't put a Band-Aid on and be all better."

"Not to sound cliché or anything, but it's just a flesh wound."

Max slid into the backseat and gently unwrapped Eva's arm.

"It's true. It went clean through, and just barely, too. He practically missed her."

"Then why is she bleeding so much?"

"Don't ask me. Do you have any…" Max glanced around the grungy Jeep. "Any anything?"

"There's a first-aid kit in the back."

Max slid over the backseat and began rooting around, and came up with the box. She pulled the dingy lid away. It was shoved full of all sorts of medical things. Max had expected a tube of anapestic and a couple mangled Band-Aids. 

"Whoa. Boy scout."

"I stole it from the medical labs."

"Well, does anybody have any idea how to best go about fixing up a shot wound?"

Eva sighed. "Not really. Just try to get it to stop bleeding, I guess. I'm going to end up in the hospital sooner or later, and now I'd really prefer later."

"You seriously want to still go to Seattle?"

"Yes. And so do you. You want a new life? That's the way to get it." Eva winced as Max went to work trying to staunch the bleeding. Her face was pale and wan. _This must hurt like no other_ Max thought, touching the wound. _I guess she's just still trying to be a soldier_. Eva pulled the box to her and searched through it, coming up with a glass bottle. She set it on her lap and continued her search until she came up with a wrapped syringe. She handed to Max.

"Gimmie some of this." Max turned the bottle so she could read the label. Morphine. 

"How much?" she asked.

"Dunno. Just a little. Maybe this much," Eva said, holding her fingers apart. Max shrugged and poked the needle into the bottle, pulled back on the plunger, and stabbed the needle into Eva's arm. 

"This is crazy," Chris muttered.

"You better believe it," Max said. "And don't forget, you wanted this."

They drove on in silence. After a while, Eva took another hit of drugs and drifted off into morphine dreams. She muttered quietly. It was dark. Chris's eyes began to droop, and Max offered to take the wheel. Every so often, they would pass a sector checkpoint and Chris would supply sector passes taken from Eva's backpack, left over from Logan. 

"We're going to need more gas soon."

"Try there," Chris said, pointing to a station. She pulled in.

"You fill up. I'll be back." She headed inside to the back hallway. There was a payphone. She picked up the receiver and punched 0 with her middle finger. She waited for the automated voice to start. It was a nice voice

"…place a collect call, press one now….if you would"

1

"Please enter the number you wish to dial…"

Max punched in Logan's number.

"Please state your name…" 

Max stayed silent. She glanced through the station's front window. Chris stood next to the Cherokee, watching the numbers tick over. Eva was still in the backseat. She sighed. She was tired. Her system, she suspected, was still coursing with drugs, and running all day wasn't helping either. She didn't ache so much anymore, though. And her thoughts were clearer. 

"Hello. Hello?"

It was Logan.

"Logan? How's the weather?"

"Max? Is that you?" she could hear Logan draw in his breath, deeply, relieved and at the same time anxious. "Where are you? You were supposed to be back… we've been so worried. Where have you been?"

"Manticore. Long story. We're all okay. Well, except Eva. She sorta got shot, but she'll be okay. I think."

"How do you sorta get shot?"

"Another long one. I'll be back in Seattle tomorrow. See if you can work up two new identities. One for a guy, caucasian, about twenty. And one for Eva."

"Max, I…" Max cut him off, afraid of what he might say.

"I've got to go now. Tell everybody 'hi'" she said flippantly. She dropped the phone back on the hook and let out a sigh. She was so tired. 


	19. Chapter 19

Max took over the driving again

Max took over the driving again. They drove on, across empty roads. Speeding wasn't monitered much anymore, so Max gunned the engine and they sailed through the dark. The air was dusty and dry. Max rolled the window down and the breeze played through her hair.

"So there really was Project Manticore." Chris's voice broke the silence.

"Yes. I was part of X-5."

"Yeah, Eva said that."

"I don't know how far it went after that."

"Was it really as horrible as everybody says?"

"I don't know what they say. But it was like drowning, everyday. It was hell."  
"So you ran."

"So we ran." Max smiled at the memory. "It was so cold. Eva got shot that night, you know, by Lydecker."

"So what happened?"

"She stayed. We all thought she was dead. But we ran. Twelve of us got away."

"Thirteen," Eva's voice came, slurred by drugs.

"No, Ev, it was just twelve, remember?" Max quickly ran off the twelve names. "Unless you count you. Then, I guess it is thirteen. Or Jace. She got away, too. But at the time, that night, it was only twelve."

"No, Delsa too." This last bit was whispered almost silently.

"Delsa?"

Eva attempted to not her head.

"Zack never said anything about her."

"Maybe he didn't…. he didn't….know…." Eva's voice was weak again. She was about to slip back under again. "She's… she's out there."

Max was struck by this, startled. It was all too much. Not now. She pushed it away, to be dealt with later. 

+++

She and Chris continued to take turns driving. They drove through Idaho in the morning. Eva's wound wasn't looking good at all. She was drifting in and out, but neither Max nor Chris really knew what to do for her. Max fell into troubled sleep. She felt Chris touch her gently. 

"We're almost to the city limits. What now?"

"We've got to take her to a hospital," Max said, tilting her head towards Eva. "Metro Medical. Um…Turn left after you get through the checkpoint." Max sat silently, speaking only to tell Chris when to turn. They pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot, and Chris gently roused Eva, who quietly moaned, and carried her inside, Max trailing. The woman at the admissions desk looked up, startled.

"What happened here?"

"Gunshot wound."

This attracted the attention of a nearby doctor. 

"Okay," he said. "Bring her in here." Chris followed after the doctor with Eva. Max turned to follow them. The admissions lady stopped her.

"I need you to fill out these form, if you could," she said, shoving a clipboard into Max's hands. Max went over to the waiting room. She glanced through them. Medical carrier? _Don't know._ Personal physician? _Don't know_. Allergies? _Don't know._ Last Name? _Don't know… _Max sighed. She still didn't know anything. She wrote "Eva," then scribbled in a last name. Age? She took a stab. Next of kin? Max paused, then wrote "Max Guevera" and jotted her pager number next to that. She filled in a couple other blanks that she thought would make the admissions woman suspicious if they were left empty. She carried the clipboard back to the desk and let it fall with a clatter. The woman looked up again, slightly annoyed. Max turned and went back to the waiting room, then over to the payphone. She rooted through her pockets looking for quarters, suspecting Logan probably wouldn't appreciate another collect call. She dropped in a few coins and listened to the ringing. Logan's machine picked up. 

"Logan, it's me. I'm back. Well, I'm at Metro Medical. I'm coming by later." She replaced the receiver and glanced up to see Chris approaching with the doctor.

"Are you the next of kin?" the doctor asked.

"We're sisters."

"Hmm… Well, that was some wound. It's old. When did it happen?"

"About a day ago. I think."

"Why didn't you bring her in when it happened?"

Chris interjected. "We had some, uh, trouble getting here."

The doctor eyed them both suspiciously. "Well, she's going to need surgery to close it up. It didn't hit anything major, just tore some muscle. There's really no reason for you to worry. You probably don't need to stay here. Do we have your number?"

Max nodded.

"Okay, then. We'll see you in a few hours." He smiled slightly. "Don't worry."

Chris put his arm around Max.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." 

"You feeling better? All those drugs and stuff?"

She nodded. "A little tired, but I think they're wearing off. Finally." 

"Hungry?"

"A little."

"Good. I'm starving."

They walked off to the cafeteria. 

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked.

"Sure, why?"

"It's not every day you decide to leave your entire life behind and go on the lam with two criminal, albeit gorgeous, genetically engineered killing machines."  
"We're on the lam now?"

"Well, I've always been. And the US government doesn't really smile on people shooting their guys. So, yeah, welcome to the lam. How do you like it so far?"

"It's okay. It's not like I was leaving anything behind, anyway."

"Nothing?"

"Besides a my glamorous job as a peon and bowl full of goldfish, nope."

"No family?"

"My parents and my sister were killed when somebody firebombed our apartment during a riot. Totally random. Me and my little brother, we were at school. That's when we lived in New York. My brother lives in Canada with some relatives. I joined the military and got moved out to Gillette."

"You don't have anything?"

"Couple of friends, but not too close. My roommate will take care of my fish, I suppose. He'll be pretty pissed when he finally figures out he's going to have to cover all the rent on his own. Oh well. He's a slacker, anyway. Do him some good." 

"Running's never easy."

"I'm not running. I'm walking. This was my choice."

Max smiled. "I've got this…this friend. He'll help you get on your way."

"There's one thing I regret leaving behind."

"Oh yeah?"

"Fender Strat. And I'll kind of miss my fish, too."

Max smiled again, laughing slightly. "You'll be okay. We'll get you some more fish, okay?"

He laughed at this, his eyes meeting hers, wrapping his fingers around his coffee cup. "You're amazing. Both of you. It's like this doesn't even faze you - running from the military is all in a day's work. 'I just got shot. Hmmm. Hit me up with some morphine.'"

"Well, they don't tweak our genes for nothing, if not to be amazing."

They sat in comfortable silence, sipping coffee. 

"Max!" 

Max swiveled in her chair. Logan. Her heart sped up instinctively, then she felt calm.

"Hey," she said coolly, as he came over. She suddenly found herself craving comfort, and practically lunged on him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. 

"Hey," he said as she sat back down. 

"Logan, this is Christian. Chris, Logan."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Soooo," Logan said. "Care to explain any or all of this?"

"It was a setup. But not on Eva's behalf. She's been being set up all along. So I spent a few nights at everybody's favorite overnight camp, where Chris had the fine job of guarding my body, Deck had a fine time baiting me, Eva found out, Chris found out and got poked by his conscience, Deck shot Eva in the arm, Eva shot Deck in the leg, there was running and cursing and fleeing, after which we embarked on a simply _fabulous_ roadtrip. And here we are. Or at least that's the Reader's Digest version."

"Well." Logan paused. "So how's Eva?"

"Doctor says she'll be fine. It went right through her arm. She wouldn't let us stop at a hospital until we got here." 

Chris crumpled his empty Styrofoam coffee cup and stood. "Want to go back to…wherever we're supposed to go? Post-op?"

"Okay." Max stood and tossed her cup into the nearby garbage can. 


	20. Chapter 20

They sat in the waiting room a while before another doctor approached them

They sat in the waiting room a while before another doctor approached them.

"Family of Eva…" he scanned the chart.

"Hi," Max said, standing.

"Family?"

"We're sisters." The doctor eyed her, clearly comparing her to his memory of Eva. "Different moms," she explained. He nodded.

"She came through just fine. She's a little dehydrated, and with a wound that old, we're going to keep her here a while." Max nodded. "She'll be waking up pretty soon, if you want to come say hi." 

+++

"Ev?"

"Max…"

"We made it, baby. You're on the home stretch."  
Eva smiled and closed her eyes.

"How you feelin?"

"Considering, pretty good," Eva said. "We really made it."

"Not all the way."

"Max, I'm so sorry…"

"Sweetie, forget about it. You didn't know." 

"Is Chris here?"

Max nodded and motioned to Chris, who was standing in the doorway. 

"Hey stud."

Chris smiled. 

"Feeling better, Eva?"

"Yeah. Tired."

Max leaned in to Eva again. "Ev, the doctors said you're dehydrated and you run a high risk of an infection because the hole was open for so long. You've got to stay here a while."

"Okay."

"Do you want to sleep now?" Eva's eyes were drooping. She smiled.

"I think so."

"Okay, babe. I'm gonna go home and take a shower. I feel dis-gusting. And then we'll start working on what to do next. Okay?"

"Okay. Is Logan here too?"

"He went home."

"Tell him… tell him 'hi'. Tell him I'm sorry I'm so much trouble."

"He's used to trouble, but I'll tell him."

She smiled again, eyes closed.

"Take care of that boy. Both of these boys."

"I think I can handle that. I'll see you in a bit."

"G'bye."

"Bye."


	21. Chapter 21

Max stepped out of the shower and glanced around the bathroom

Max stepped out of the shower and glanced around the bathroom. It was strange to be in somebody else's bathroom. She glanced over at the counter where she had thrown her clean clothes. She thought she might never be clean again. Her hair fell across her shoulders, steaming from the hot water. She toweled it off quickly. The mirror was covered in condensed steam, which was beginning to fade away. Drops of water ran down and left clear tracks. She stared at her face in the mirror. She was beginning to look more like herself, less tired. The shower probably didn't hurt, either. After leaving the hospital, Max convinced Logan to go by her place to pick up some things. She picked up the bottle of Tryptophan she had brought then shook out a few tablets, chewing them. Their chalky taste spread through her mouth and she choked back a gag. _They must have been giving me something at Manticore_ she thought, _to keep them down - but now it's going away…_ She set the bottle back down again and pulled on her clothes, running her fingers through her warm, damp hair. She walked out into Logan's apartment. Logan and Chris sat on the couch, deep in discussion.

"Hey," she said. They looked up. "Your turn," she said to Chris, then went and took Chris's vacated spot.

"So," Logan said.

"Sooo," she replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm clean, finally, so I'm better than fine. I might even be called good. Why does everybody keep asking me that?"

"This is a big deal, what just happened."

"Nah," she said lightly.

"Don't brush this off."

"I guess it could be considered a big deal. But forget, move on. You know? So can you help Chris?"

"Yeah. Nice guy."

"I'll say. A little…spontaneous." 

"You could say that. He just bolted with you guys? Randomly?"

"Pretty much."

"He safe?"

"Yeah. As safe as they come, at least. You're not going to go all freaky-security on me, are you?"

"Well, I didn't last time, and look what happened."

"That wasn't your fault."

"I got you the stuff to go."

"Why does everybody want the blame? Eva's trying to convince me it's _her_ fault."

Logan nodded. "So you really are okay with this?"

"No. But I will be."

"So Ruth was…"

"A stranger, basically. She had nothing to do with any of it. Just another lackey wrapped around Lydecker's little finger - doing what he wanted."

"And nobody knew?"

"If by nobody you mean Eva, then… she didn't know. Deck's a master at deception, keeping secrets. He was the only one that knew everything. Th best way to get people to convince others is to get them to believe it themselves."

"Eva's family?"

"They think she's adopted. She thought they were her real family, but I guess she knows now."

"How."

"She overheard me and Lydecker talking, I think."

"Talking?"

"Yeah."

"You think he was telling the truth?"

Max paused and stared into the distance, then said dejectedly, "Yes. He didn't have anything to lose. He thought he had me - for good."

"Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah." Max didn't offer the information.

"Chris says he said something about your mother."

"Yeah. He said she begged for mercy, really horrible stuff like that."

"You already knew that."

"Yeah. And he said she liked to flirt, and she liked green silk." Max's eyes glazed slightly.

"Wonder how he knew that."

"I don't know. Probably just from seeing her around the base. You know, before…"

"Yeah."

"So what were you and Chris talking about?"

"What to do with him. Canada, I think we decided."

"Good." 

"I better go down to JamPony. You know, see if I still have my job."

"Then?"

"Then, I guess I'll go home. Chris gonna hole up with you for a bit?"

"Yeah."

"Well, bye then."

"Bye."

He watched her go.


	22. Chapter 22

Normal was initially resistant to let Max's absence slide by

Normal was initially resistant to let Max's absence slide by. However, after some gentle reminders of the time she'd basically saved him, it was agreed that all debts were cancelled and the two instances on both parts were forgotten. Max went back to her apartment. The Ninja sat just where she'd left it, looking untouched. Max glanced around. No one was in the apartment. She was alone. She wasn't hungry, but she glanced through the refrigerator out of habit. She closed the door and leaned against it. She sighed and walked into her bedroom, pulling a box out from under the bed. It was filled with the tools she used on the Ninja. It needed an oil change pretty soon, and now was as good a time as any. She sank into the familiar rhythm, glad she could do something to free up her mind. The tools felt heavy and cool, welcome in her hands. The window was open slightly and the breeze came in, fresh from the morning's rain. She glanced outside. It was cloudy, but not oppressively so. She felt comfortable, at home. 

+++

The next day, she went to work slightly early, figuring it couldn't hurt to try and impress Normal. He seemed surprised, to say the least. She went on run after run, for the first time in a long time appreciating the feel of rain on her bare legs, weaving in and out of the people on the sidewalks. Max went back to JamPony and accepted the package Normal thrust at her. She glanced down at the address label. Near the hospital. After delivering the package, peddled over to the hospital and locked her bike to the rack. She stopped at the nurses' station and was informed that Eva was "running a bit of a fever, but was doing well otherwise." When she entered the room, Eva first seemed to be sleeping, but when she heard Max, she opened her eyes.

"Ah," she said, smiling. "You again."

"Yep."

Eva looked her up and down, appraising her clothes. "You live in Seattle, don't you? Not Phoenix?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I don't know. You just knew the city really well. People seem to know who you are. And that's not the type of clothes you wore before."

"Yeah. They're for work."

"What do you do?"

"Bike messenger."

"Why didn't you tell?"

"You never know who you can trust."

"Yeah, that's true."

"But I trust you now."

"So," Eva said, sighing. "Who do I trust?"

"Me. Logan. Chris, and your family, and… it's really just something you know."

"Do I trust my family?"

"They didn't know, Ev. They thought adopted you. They were clean."

"How do you know?"

"Deck told me."

"He's lied before."

"Not this time."

Eva seemed grateful for this. "Then I guess…I really love my family, you know. Even if they were my real family, they couldn't be any better."

"What's your mom like?"

"Nice. She likes to garden. Deer and moose would always come eat our flowers, but she planted them anyway. She's stubborn. And she can't sing a note."

Max smiled.  
"I'll miss them. We were so alike - I can't believe we weren't blood related."

"You're still family. Family isn't blood. We proved that - all our brothers and sisters."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She paused. "Max I'm still really sorry about…"

"I really don't want you to worry about it."

"I still feel responsible."

"So does Logan. There's enough of that to go around."

"What about Chris?"

"He's heading to Canada. Logan'll get him started. Last I left them, Logan and Chris were lamenting the loss of Chris's vintage Fender Stratocaster."

"He plays guitar?" Eva asked.

"Yep."

"Well, that makes him even sexier."

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, you're taken."

"Oh, am I?"

"You betcha. Logan's the one you were talking about that one time, wasn't he?" That conversation seemed years ago to Max, but it had been less than a week.

"Maybe."

Eva smiled, knowingly. 

"Ev, in the car…you said something?"

"I don't really remember."

"You said something about thirteen getting away… not twelve?" Max wanted Eva to offer the information again, rather than just have her agree to it.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her temples lightly. "Delsa? Is that who you mean."

Max nodded.

"She got away. Or at least, that's what we thought. Nobody ever found her, then one day, she just disappeared from all the databases, all her records at Manticore, gone. I never figured it out. Nobody did."

"Huh. I had no idea." 

"What now?"

"You get better, than Logan will get you sent off too. The nurse said you had a fever."

"I feel fine"

"Well, be careful. I've got to get back to work." Max hugged Eva briefly. "See you later?"

"Thank you," she said fervently, her eyes deep. "For everything."


	23. Chapter 23

The next day, Max was riding her bike slowly down the street when her pager chirped

The next day, Max was riding her bike slowly down the street when her pager chirped. She tilted it and read the number. Logan. She stopped at the next payphone and dialed. 

"You beeped?"

"Max, I just got a call from Chris. He's down at the hospital. Eva's taken a turn, and he thinks you should go."

"Oh, God…"

"Don't worry…" she heard Logan say as she hung up the receiver and sped away.

+++

"Chris?"

"Max! The doctor says she… it got infected. They think…" Max strode to the room where she had sat the day before after work, playing cards. Eva lay silently. Her face was flushed. 

"What are they going to do?"

"The doctor said they'd give her courses of antibiotics and try and get the fever down."

"Is this big? Is this going to be trouble?"

"Yeah."

"For sure?"

"Almost."

"Why did you call me? Is she…going to…"

"They don't know. I just thought you'd want to know."

Eva's eyelids fluttered slightly. 

"Max…."

"What?"

"Max… tell my…" she trailed off. Her eyes closed again. Max waited, but Eva showed no sign of speaking again. She stood and faced Chris again.

"I've got to go to work. I'm already about to lose my job as it is," she said, bewildered.

"Are you sure? Can't you stay?"

"There's nothing….I can do here anyway."

+++

The next few days passed. The infection resisted the antibiotics. Eva would whisper things occasionally, but never anything coherent. The doctors warned the fever might maker her delusional. Chris, Max, and Logan spent increasing amounts of time at the hospital, trading around, sitting, and mostly waiting. There was nothing to be done. Then one day, it happened.

Max was walking down the street on her way back from the farmers market. Her sack was heavy, filled with pears. She couldn't wait to eat one. _Why wait then? _ she thought, pulling one out and biting into like an apple. The juice ran down her fingers and dripped from her wrist. It was sweet and tangy. Her pager rang out. She wiped one hand carefully on her pants, then tilted it to see the display. It was Chris, at the hospital. She felt panic seize at her chest. Better, or worse? She dialed the payphone with trembling fingers.

"Chris?"

Silence. Then - 

"She's gone."

+++

"I'll….I'll be right there." She hurried up to her apartment to drop off her groceries, then mounted the Ninja, heading for the Logan's. Once there, she didn't bother to knock. She strode in, trying to look purposeful. Logan was at the computer. He looked up at her. He searched her face, saw her fighting back tears.

"She's dead."


	24. Chapter 24 - Epilouge

Epilouge ****

Epilouge

The paperwork was numbing. "It takes so much to die," Chris had said. The next day, he left for Canada. 

Standing at the bus station, Max slid something into his hand. "Money," she said. "From Logan. He said it's to get a new guitar."

"Tell him thanks. He's a good guy."

"Yeah. Call, if you need anything. You saved me, so much," Max said.

"Thanks," he said, hugging her briefly, then turning to board the bus, so she wouldn't see his face. _Those two girls_ he thought, _those two_ women ,_it must have taken so much for them to do what they did. But they did it anyway._ He knew that Eva and Max could easily have left him, or not trusted him. But they did. 

+++

Max sat on the Logan's couch, her legs draped across his lap. He rubbed her feet gently. 

"Long day?"

She nodded wearily, then glanced at the counter where the box of ashes, Eva's ashes sat. Max had collected them from the morgue that day. Next to them sat her planner. 

"You okay," he said, noticing her drifting gaze.

"I will be," she said, smiling slightly. "I lose everybody."

"Not everybody."

"I was so glad to have her. Even just for a week."

"Remember that, then. Remember having her."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, his fingers working small circles across the soles of her feet.

"I almost forgot," he said, setting her feet gently on the ground. He left briefly, then returned. "Here."

He dropped something into her lap. It was a wrap, the sort you'd wear with a fancy dress. Max felt her fingers swim between the delicate folds of icy green silk and delicate gold beadwork.

"It was my mom's. You take it."

"It's beautiful."  
"Well, you said your mother…" he paused, almost entranced, watching her drape it gently around her shoulders. It seemed to flow across her arms, settling along her curves. "You are so…that's a good color for you."

She smiled slightly and slid it back from around her shoulders, folded it gently, and laid it on the table. 

"Thank you," she said and hugged him lightly. She didn't pull back. It felt good, she decided, to have someone so close, so warm. She looked up slightly, and noticed he was looking down at her. His eyes were warm. He lightly stroked her hair, then drew his fingers along the line of her chin, tilting her face upward. She felt his lips delicately on hers. He pulled back when she didn't respond. 

"Don't…" she whispered.

"I'm sorry…I didn't…"

"No. Don't stop."

He leaned in again. She kissed him back. 

+++

"Are you ready?" Logan asked as Max dropped a bag in the back of the Aztek.

"Yup," she said, walking around to the passenger side and sliding in. "Did you fax the thing?"

"Yeah. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely. And when we get back…"

"When we get back, I'll help you look for the other one."

Max glanced down where Eva's box sat on the floor. She nodded again, smiling. As they drove, she flipped through the photo filled planner, each snapshot revealing some new part of Eva, some part Max hadn't known about. 

+++

Don Lydecker sat at his desk. A dull pain pulled at his leg. He grimaced as someone knocked on the door. 

"Come in," he ordered.

"Sir, I thought you might want to see this," said the man, dropping a newspaper onto his desk, then leaving. Lydecker picked it and flipped through the pages until he saw something that had been circled. It was an obituary.

**__**

Eva Neil _Eva died twice, for the second time on Wednesday_… he read. His eyes skimmed through it. It was a short piece, after all, Eva had remained a mystery for the most part to the writers. He came to the end. _Eva is survived by her adoptive family, parents Pam and Jonathan Neil and brother Trevor, and by her brothers and sisters Krit, Zach, Jondy, Brinn, Max, Syl, Zane, Delsa, Jace, …."_

Every X-5 was listed. Every one. He dropped the paper to the desk. 

She was gone.

+++

Logan sat in the car and watched Max advance up the walk, the little box and the planner in her hand. Logan glanced at the dashboard, where Max had laid a photo she'd taken from the planner. Eva stood on the deck of the house they were now parked in front of, dressed in shorts and a tank top, her arms wrapped tightly around a boy of about ten. Both smiled, brightly, the boy's eyes squinting slightly. The sun must have been in his eyes. Max had informed him solemnly that that was Trevor, who liked to play basketball. 

The house was large, with open windows, surrounded by pine trees. Bitten down crocuses lined the stone rock. Max climbed the three stairs to the large cedar porch. She knocked on the door and stood, waiting. A woman answered. Logan recognized her as the woman from the planner pictures. He had talked to her on the phone. Her voice had been gentle, musical, much like Eva's. It was hard to believe they weren't really related. Her tears had been real. They might not have been related, but clearly that made no difference to her. Eva was her daughter.

Max stood, motioning gracefully. Pam responded, smiling slightly, then embracing Max tightly. They were both crying. Max then handed her the box, her fingers lingering on it briefly. Then she let go, turned and quickly returned to the car. She smiled tightly, a few tears on her face. She wiped them away quickly.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded.

"It's okay," he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, it is."

****

The End


End file.
